My mom wasn’t super into makeup and beauty when I was younger, but my grandma definitely was! I was always going with her and my sister to get our nails done and would always watch her put on her blush and lipstick. Other than that I love watching YouTube makeup tutorials and teaching myself by experimenting with various products.

What is your favorite thing about beauty?

I love that it lets me be creative and increases my confidence. We all have insecurities, but I like that beauty and makeup allows me to emphasize my features that I truly love. Although I definitely don’t rely on makeup and beauty for confidence, it’s nice to know that I can always give myself a little bit of a boost.

Do you have a favorite beauty blogger?

I don’t really, but if I had to pick I would say Katey McFarlan from Chronicles of Frivolity, although I would just say she’s my favorite blogger in general, ha!

What is your best beauty secret?

Embrace your natural beauty! Confidence comes from within, and you should always embrace who you are!

Do you create any DIY beauty products?

I haven’t, but I really want to! I have a lot of pins on Pinterest saved for the day that I actually attempt to do this!

What is your favorite natural beauty product?

I have these sugar scrubs from a company called Spa Thyme and they’re made from all natural products and I love them! They smell so good!

Dryness is probably my biggest issue! Every time I shower my skin feels like it’s lost a lot of moisture. But again, I’ll just put on some lotion and be good to go. I’m very lucky that this is my biggest problem!!

I honestly don’t think I have one! I’m a college girl on a budget, so I just haven’t been able to really splurge on anything yet!

What is the first thing you do when you get a breakout?

Like I said above I love Mario Badescu Drying Lotion! I put a little on a q-tip and put it on the spot where my breakout is. If that doesn’t work, I use the acne treatment from BioClarity which is a little stronger. If it’s just a red spot, I actually use toothpaste and leave it on while I sleep!

I would say that my going out look is just an amped up version of my daily look! This time I use foundation, and a contour kit that I actually got at Marshalls (remember, college budget girl!). I do my contour, but focus more on highlighting, since I think it works better for my paler skin. Then I use my Urban Decay Naked Palette and do a darker smokey eye, repeating the same steps as above just with darker shades. If I’m feeling up to it I might add winged eyeliner and some glitter liner at my upper lash line. I add lipstick, mascara, and I finish off my look with Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder in Translucent so all my hard work doesn’t melt off while I’m out!

Okay I might get a lot of heat for this one, but sleep in some makeup if you know you won’t have time for it the next morning. I never do this with foundation or any face makeup, but I do this all the time with eyeshadow and mascara. I’ve had people tell me this is going to ruin my skin, face, etc. over time, but nothing has happened to me yet! It saves me so much time in the mornings!

HAIR

What is your hair type?

Oily at the top, dry at the bottom. Is there a name for this?

What is your basic hair care routine?

I’m so simple with my hair! I wash it probably way too much, then just kind of leave it alone! I very rarely add product or style it, just because I don’t have enough time! If I’m going out I might curl my hair, but normally I’ll just braid it and spray with hairspray to get some slight waves. Nothing too drastic.

What is your biggest hair issue?

Knots. My hair is very thin, but there’s a decent amount of it and it always ends up with little knots all over. Hairdressers have joked that if they just look at my hair it will get knots! I normally solve this by brushing through it every few hours.

Most days I brush it and go! If I want to add a little bit of styling I will put it in braids, spray it with hairspray and wait a few minutes for some subtle waves. I’m lucky that I have straight enough hair that I don’t have to do much with!

How do you style your hair when you're going out?

When I go out I might curl it, but normally I’m so impatient that I just let it be natural. Sometimes I just have my best friend and roommate do my hair for me because she’s so much better at it!!

What is your best hair trick?

I love sleeping in braids and waking up with wavy hair. This works best if my hair is wet, but I’ve done it with dry hair as well. The waves last all day, and they are practically perfect! Plus, it doesn’t take much effort!

BATH AND BODY

What is your basic body care routine?

I always exfoliate in the shower! After exfoliating I either use an all-natural soap (I have a rose goat milk soap from a beauty subscription service called Scently Box and I am obsessed!) or a body wash. Then after showering I either apply lotion or body butter to keep my skin soft.

What is your must have body product?

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion. It is my savior. I put it everywhere! I also love finding natural soaps that smell delicious. I’ve found that local farmers markets always have good ones!

What is your favorite body product splurge?

I feel like I’m not very helpful in the splurge department, haha! I think the most expensive thing I buy is body butter from The Body Shop!!

What is your basic approach to nutrition and dieting?

Moderation. I am in no way the picture of health, because let’s be honest carbs are my best friend. I just try to limit the ‘bad’ things like sweets and fried foods, but I’m not going to restrict myself if that’s what I’m craving. I try to keep a good amount of fruit and vegetables in my meals, because that way I know that I’m at least getting something good in my body three times a day.

What is your current workout routine?

I go to Zumba twice a week and I love it. I have absolutely no rhythm though, so it’s rough watching myself in the mirror knowing that I’m not doing the moves right! But it’s such a fun way to exercise that I don’t feel like I’m actually working out. That was an issue I had in the past. I would try a new workout, and wouldn’t go because I just dreaded doing it! I also go on nightly walks with my roommate that last from a half hour to an hour just to have some movement every day. We also do it late at night so it tires us out before bed and I’ve been sleeping a lot better because of this!A huge thank you to Sami for sharing a look into her beauty routine! Do you use any of the same products? Let me know below!